And just as gear can gather dust over the winter months, so can the all-important dive skills.

If you dive with a dive center, and if it has been a while since your last dive, they’ll ask you to do a checkup dive. But if you’re diving on your own, no one is going to require this of you. However, you can do your own.

Douglas Greenwald

Here’s what I focus on when I take a new client, who hasn’t been in the water for a while.

Dive Equipment Assembly

Putting the gear together before a dive is a key skill, and if you’re new to diving, it may not be second nature.

But even if you’re experienced, take your time assembling it for the first dive of the season, and make sure you get all the details right.

Buoyancy

Jon Milnes

One of the skills that deteriorate the quickest is buoyancy control. Those intricate little maneuvers and adjustments that make up good buoyancy may be second nature at the end of the season, but coming back after a long break. I’ve always found that they’re not as sharp as they could be.

So take your time on this, and be very conscious of any adjustments you make. You might want to consider starting your dive out with a few basic buoyancy exercises, such as a fin pivot and a stationary hover.

Water comfort

After a winter of staying on dry land, sometimes some of that ease we build in the water as we do a number of dives during the summer goes away. So as you’re diving, take note of your general tension level, and work on releasing any tension you may be feeling.

By taking a dive or two at a well-known site that is well within your comfort level. You’ll get time to focus on the basics of scuba diving and it’ll be a great way to start the season off right.

After all, if the basics are out of whack, everything else suffers, too.

Are you ready to start the dive season?

Did you already do your check dive? What skills did you practice? Was there any specific skill you had difficulties mastering again?

2 Comments

You need to know all the basics to be good at scuba diving. It’s a no joke sport because you could always get into trouble if you lack the necessary skills or you’re just plain stubborn. Presence of mind is also important for an aspiring diver, but once you figure out everything then you’ll be as good as the pros.